Circle Game -- Write-Brain exercise 1

I was given three strings of five words and was instructed to circle a word in each string that appealed to me.  My circled words were 'carousel', 'jambalaya', and 'oriole'. I was then instructed to use the words in a story beginning with the phrase ...

Sometimes I feel like a gerbil, (and then I could choose one of four versions which were: running round and round on a wheel / avoiding the wheel / fearful of leaving the wheel / runnng freely without need of a wheel) running round and round on a wheel.

Not that this is a bad thing. The exercise keeps me fit. If music is playing it feels like I'm dancing or starring in my own version of Chariots of Fire. If I'm listening to an audio book I get lost in the story. If I'm tying to memorize something it's easier -- to memorize, that is.

Sometimes it's like that character says in Porgy and Bess -- Sometimes I just sits and thinks and sometimes I just sits. Only for me it would be -- sometimes I just runs and thinks and sometimes I just runs.

My wheel is like a carousel -- going round and round and round. The difference being that a wheel requires action on my part and riding a carousel is a passive, relaxing, and in ways an other-worldly experience. The similarity being that both hold one captive.

What would it be like to be a bird, let's say a brilliantly hued and diminutive oriole? I could fly without boundaries. I could explore. I could play -- soar, dip, dive, circle, nest.

What would it be like to try new things, as simple as changing my go-to menu? What would I learn by trying new spices, new ingredients, new cultures?  A good example would be 'jambalaya' which connotes, to me, a celebration of integrated cultures and besides, the very word sounds like a party.

How does one become a Jamabalaya Oriole Hamster?  Do the wheel but also escape the cage, the rut, the boundaries at will and celebrate a more multi-faceted life!

So, action plan:
Define the components of the wheel that I want, that are necessary, but ditch what is dross.
Step out of my routines, push my limits, observe and take in new perspectives.
Embrace a fuller life experience by walking in the shoes of others through books, film, music, cooking, and most importantly service.

TURN OUT! This will be a year of turning out!